This invention pertains to energy control and, more particularly, to controllably varying the amount of energy transmitted to fluorescent lighting.
For the last several years, the public has become increasingly conscious of the conservation of energy. This has been brought about in view of the increasing costs for the fundamental sources of energy and, particularly, those related to petroleum. Accordingly, there have been proposed steps to control the artificial lighting within confined areas. When one considers incandescent lighting it is only necessary to use wellknown dimmers which, in effect, decrease the amplitude of the voltage applied to the lamps. However, when fluorescent lighting is considered, one cannot use these conventional amplitude control devices. Furthermore, during the start-up of fluorescent lighting it is necessary to insure that the ballast and other components are suitably warmed as soon as possible to insure efficient operation of the device.